Card-index.



PATENTED DEC. 11, 1906.

J. R. BUGKWALTER.

CARD INDEX.

APPLIOATIOK FILED DEC. 2a, 1003. RENEWED JULY 16, 1906.

@u'u, KM ATTORNEY s which the sliding certain media to be readily engaged with and JOSEPH R. BUCK-WALTER, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO KOLLER AND SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A FIRM.

CARD-INDEX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.Patente'd Dec. 11, 1906,

Application filed. December 26, 1903. Renewed July 16, 1906. Serial No. 326,497.

To aZZ whom, it may col wern:

Be it known that I, JosEPn BUOKWAL- 'TER, a citizen of. the United States, residing at 606 Spruce street, in the city of Reading, State of Pennsylvania, have invented cer- :tainnew: and useful Improvements in Card- Indexes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to What are variously denominated as card-indexes, card-receptacles, and filecases for cards, which, as is well known to those familiar with the subject, comprise always some sort of receptacle or case,-usually in the form of a sliding drawer-like device, for the reception and retention in place of index-cards and which in variably comprise some sort of card compacting and holder device adapted to slide within the drawer for the purpose of holding in proper place the assemblage of index-cards (whether there be a large or small number of the same) and adapted to be adjusted to suit the conditions of a difference in the number of assembled cards, while at the same time its adjustment may be easily effected by hand manipulation. This sort of contrivance as heretofore produced is usually made in principally two speciesnamely, that in device is adapted through disengaged fromeither the bottom of the drawer or some device arranged within the drawer by a manipulation of the sliding cardholder device itself or in which this device may be moved to set it at different points or positions without changing its relative position vertically with the drawer itself, it being secured or locked in position by means of some separate device or mechanism to be,

manipulated by hand, and my present invention relates to this last named species of card-index.

My invention has for its object to provide for use a card-index of this species or character which shall not only be very readily and perfectly operative and very efficient in use, but which shall also be exceedingly economic of manufacture and so simple of construction as not to be liable to any derangement of its working parts; and to these. ends and object my invention may be said to consist in the construction or the combination of devices which will be hereinafter morefully explained and whichwill bemostparticularly pointed out in the claim of this specification.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my improvement relates to make and use card-indexes according to my invention, I will now proceed to more fully describe the latter, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, in which I haveshownone of myimproved card-indexes made exactly according to the detail construction under which I have so far successfully practiced my invention.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a card-receptacle or cardindeX drawer with its attachments drawn on a comparatively small scale, showing the sliding platen with its connected metal devices and the guide-rod in elevation. Fig. 2 is a back view, on an enlarged scale, of the movable platen or card-retaining device and the drawer-rod on which it slides detached from the receptacle shown atFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of the parts seen at Fig. 2, the section being taken at the line 3 3 of the last-named figure. Fig. 4 is a detail bottom view of the rod and the metallic working parts of the device or contrivance detached from the wooden part with which they are connected at Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

In the several figures the same part will be found always designated by the same letter of reference.

A is the usual drawer-like receptacle of a cardindeX, withinwhich is arranged about centrally widthwise of the receptacle, slightly below the upper surface of the receptaclebottom and extending the whole length thereof, the metallic rod-B, which, as usual in card-receptacle devices, is combined with the receptacle so that it is located on a level with or below the upper surface of the drawers bottom, all in a manner well understood.

C is the movable platen-like or cardretaining device, composed, preferably, of wood, as shown, and having its forward or card retain ing or confining side made oblique to the plane of the card-receptacle after a fashion common to other card-index contrivances.

with the bottom of this movable platen or card-clamping part C is permanently combined in any suitable manner a sheet-metal yoke-like device E, which, as clearly shown, has its two downwardly-pro ecting portions 6 e perforated to accommodate or permit the passage through said perforations of the metal rod B, on which said shoe-piece or metallic yoke E, that carries the platen C, may be easily moved or slid backward or forward, the vertical ends or edges of said platen C loosely contacting with the inner surfaces of the vertical sides of the receptacle A, serving to maintain the sliding part C in a proper operative position.

F is a simple metallic hand-lever the lower portion of which is perforated with the round hole through which passes and within which loosely fits the rod B, (see particularly Figs. 2 and 3,) while at a point slightly above its perforated end said handlever F passes through a simple slot-like aperture in the horizontal top or plate-like portion of the shoe E, the wooden card-retainer device 0 having in its rearmost side a sort of wedgeshaped cut-out or receptacle 1 (see Figs. 2 and 3) to permit this arrangement within the slotted upper portion of E of this hand-lever F and permit a suitable extent of vibration or motion to the upper end of said lever, as will be readily understood by reference particularly to Fig. 3 of the drawings.

- s is a short spiral spring, which acts by distention, arranged. around about the rod B and located between the opposing surfaces of the lower end of the hand-lever F and one of the vertical depending ortions e of the yoke E and which loosely its round about said rod B, so as to either readily move longitudinally on the latter or bind thereon, as will be clearly understood by reference particularly to Figs. 3 and 4.

From the foregoing description of the construction and combined arrangement of the several parts of the contrivance shown and a visual inspection of the drawings which form part of this specification the operation in practice of my improved card-indexes will be readily understood to be as follows-that is to say, whenever it may be desired to move the card retaining or holding platen C forward or toward the front of the drawer or receptacle A, as indicated by the arrows at Figs. 1 and 3. such movement of the part C can be effectuated without impediment by simply taking hold of the said part and moving it bodily in the direction mentioned to any desired extent to confine or hold in place whatever quantity of index-cards may have been placed within the receptacle intermediately of said device C and the front of the case or drawer A, and when moved up to the desired position to hold the cards in place by confining them, as usual, most closely at the vicinity of their lower horizontal edges (so that the cards may be easily separated for inspection of the numbers or names on their upper front portions) said device C will be automatically locked and held in the position to which it may have been moved by the bite or cramping of the lower perforated end of the hand-lever F round about the rod B, induced by the expansive action or motive force of the confined spiral spring 8, which normally forces and holds the lower end of this hand-lever in the oblique position seen at Fig. 3, so as to prevent any backward movement bodily of the part O with its attachments; but whenever it may be desired to move the platen C rearwardly to any desired extent for any purpose as, for instance, to adapt the adjustment of the parts to the confinement of a greater or less quan tity of index-cards it is only necessary to apply' one finger to the back side of the upper end portion or lever E and move it slightly in the direction indicated by the arrow. at Fig. 3, so as to counteract the extensible action of the spiral spring 8 and compress the latter, (so that the hole or aperture in the lower portion of lever F will loosely surround the rod B without any cramping on the latter) and thus permit a perfectly free movement of the lower end of this lever longitudinally of the rod B, the oblong aperture in the upper surface of the metallic yoke E serving during this operation as the fulcrum on which the lever F moves or turns, as will be readily understood. Now it will be seen that in this exceedingly simple means for permitting a free forward-sliding action of the clamping-platen C and for automatically locking the latter to the rod B against any backward movement relatively to the latter, while at. the same time permitting by a simple. manipulation of said lever a perfectly free backward movement whenever such may be desired, a cardindex} contrivance is provided which is not only so simple as not to be liable to any derangement, but which is also exceedingly easy and convenient of manipulation, while at the same time, on account of this simplicity of construction, it can be manufactured and sold at comparatively small cost.

Having now so fully explained the con struction and operation of my improved card-index that those skilled in the art can readily make and use the same, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a card-index, the combination with the usual receptacle; and the usual guide-rod; of a platen-like device, adapted to move lengthwise of said receptacle, and provided with a metallic bottom device having two downwardly-projecting portions perforated for the reception of said guide-rod; a clamping-lever through the lower, perforated, end of which said guide-rod freely passes, and

IOC

which lever is arranged in a iulcral opening i substantially as and for the purposes hereinor slot of said metallic bottom device of the before set forth. 1o platen intermediate of said downwardly-pro- In witness whereof I have hereunto set my jecting portions; and a compressible spring, hand this 11th day of December, 1903.

acting between the lower end of said" lever JOSEPH R. BUCKWALTER. and the rearmost depending portion of said In presence of bottom device, and operating to hold said VVM, D. HAGY,

hand-lever in the rod-clamping position; all CHARLES E. STOUT. 

